How to transfer data from your old phone to your new phone via Wi-Fi using the Migrate feature in My Backup Pro

Buying a new phone can be both exciting and frustrating at the same time. The frustration comes from trying to move data from your old phone to your new phone. Remember the old days, when you had a feature phone? It was only a matter of moving over your contacts, and your carrier usually did that for you. It’s a different ballgame now as our smartphones have apps, text messages, photos, music, videos, settings, dictionaries, and so on. The idea of restoring all that data on a new phone can be so daunting that it might force you to avoid buying that shiny new phone.

Well My Backup Pro has come to the rescue with their new Migrate feature. I already reviewed My Backup Pro, and highly recommend it for many reasons, but I wanted to tell you about the new migrate feature that simply moves data from one phone to another via WiFi. No fumbling with SD cards or moving files from your old phone to your computer and back to your new phone. Basically no fuss, no mess. Hit the break to get started.

Before we jump in, My Backup Pro has a lot of cool features for backing up your data, but this guide is only going to concentrate on the Migrate feature. To learn more about what else My Backup Pro can do for you, click here.

To get started, all you need to do is purchase and download My Backup Pro in the Google Play Store ($4.99). By purchasing it once, you will be able to install it on as many devices as you wish. In this case, you need to install it on your old phone and your new phone. Note: there is a trial version of My Backup Pro available, but it doesn’t include the Migrate feature.

Make sure both your OLD and NEW phones are connected to the same Wi-Fi network!!

You can start by opening the app on your NEW phone. You will see an option to setup an account for cloud backups. You don’t need to worry about that now, but if you think you want to utilize some of the other aspects of My Backup Pro, then go ahead and create an account. By doing so, you will be able to backup your phone’s data in the cloud in case you ever lose it or it gets stolen.

Once you get to the main menu, tap on Migrate. You will then see a popup showing you two choices: “Send from this device to another” or “Receive to this device from another.” Since this is your NEW phone, you want to select “Receive to this device from another.” You will then see a popup saying “Waiting for Sender”.

Now you can put your NEW phone down and pick up your OLD phone.

On your OLD phone, open My Backup Pro and at the main menu, select Migrate. Since this is your OLD phone, you want to select, “Send from this device to another.”

You can now choose “Applications & Media” or “Data.”

“Data” will include Contacts, Call Logs, Bookmarks, SMS, MMS, System Settings, Android Home, Alarms, Dictionary, Calendar, Music Playlist, and APNs. The good news is that you can select what you want to copy to your new phone by checking the individual categories. If you do want to send everything over, just tap “select all” at the bottom. “Applications & Data” consists of your Apps (and app data if you’re rooted), Photos, Music, and Videos. You are given the chance to select all from each individual category or select individual files from within each category.

Once you have selected what you want copied, My Backup Pro will automatically find your New phone (assuming it’s on the same Wi-Fi network) and transfer the data over. After it’s completed, you will get a message saying you need to restart your phone in order to see all your data. I would suggest you do it, but on the Galaxy S 4 I tested it with, it wasn’t necessary.

That is all there is to it. Now you don’t have to dread moving your data over to your shiny new phone. Like I said, no fuss, no mess. You will also save an awful lot of time, and I hope this guide helped ease the pain of buying your new phone.

If you’re new to My Backup Pro, I encourage you to check out our previous review and utilize the app for many of it’s other features.

If you’re still not sure how Migrate works, I take you through each and every step of the way in the tutorial video below. Check it out.

Robert lives in upstate New York where he was born and raised. Technology was always his passion. His first computer was a Radio Shack TRS80 Color that used a cassette tape to save programs, and his first laptop was a Toshiba T1200FB that sported a CGA greyscale screen and two 720kb floppy drives (no hardrive).
From the early 90’s through late 2011, he only owned Motorola phones starting with the MircroTAC all the way through to the Droid X. He broke that streak when he bought the Galaxy Nexus. Now he's sporting a Galaxy Note 4, and absolutely loves it.
He has a wonderful wife and a 6 year old son. In his free time he enjoys sports, movies, TV, working out, and trying to keep up with the rapid fast world of technology.

jamisles02

I did this when I upgraded from my Rezound to my S4. Loved I didn’t need to copy the data on my Rezound to my computer & then upload from the computer to the S4. MyBackup Pro is the best app I ever paid for.

Raquel Ayra

I m not understanding how to have both phones on at once when you can only use your tel. Number on one device? Thank you

ASHL

That was exactly my question. I didn’t think wifi worked unless you had active service. how can you have both phones activated at one time?

Alex

You can easily have your Android phone switched on without any SIM at all and use Wi-Fi or anything you want, except cell phone features.

gary

yes but doesn’t Play Store require an active phone number on the phone? If the number has been switched already can Mybackuppro be downloaded via internet connection?

calinere

You can also use iPubsoft Android manager, and firstly transfer the data from one phone to your computer, and then get them from your pc to another phone! This is also easy to realize!

sue

I can’t work out how to register it on my new phone, therefor it won’t work. Please help.

Teran2025

Did you already activate your new phone? That’s just the way it used to work with Verizon phones, not sure about Android OS. I just got a new Nexus 5 and did not want to activate until I got all my data moved over from my old Samsung Note. You may have to take in to the store. They have a very expensive forensic device that they use to transfer data (Its free for you). Good luck.

Teran2025

This is an awesome app! Too easy, just download to both devices and migrate over WiFi. At $4.99 its a steal compared to mobile-trans on CNET; they want $39.99!!! Its cumbersome because you have to install on your computer then hookup both devices and run the program; but, it works on more devices other than Android.

JJ

You sir, are da bomb! I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to transfer my Mybackup Pro files from the old phone with a micro SD card to my new one that only has built in memory (and non-removable battery-boo!). I didn’t think it all the way through and was too cheap to purchase cloud space.

The RER website and faq were no help and I haven’t heard back from my email inquiry. My phones are transferring the apps right now as I type this! Thanks very much!

ray

hi i already migrate all my apps from old to my new phone..but, i lost the game data.all my games turn to beginning..how? someone help me.. :(

MaJack

Nice info. My Backup Pro is an easy way to migrate data. Or free download a pc program called Backuptrans Android Data Transfer. Also easy to use.

Slim

Once I pay for it on my old phone, how do I get it on my new phone for free?

Eli Kidder

If you use the same Google account for both phones, you can just download the app again on your new phone. Once you buy it, you can download it on any device that uses your account for free.

Thaine Baird

I had a blackberry 8520 and I got a s3 mini , I still want to use my blackberry as a “music phone” . I want to make it so that if I download a song on my s3 it will send to my blackberry automatically. Will this app help , if it doesn’t , what would you recommend ?

Reece Mcgowan

does this work with apps that are no longer in the app store?

noone

worst tutorial ever. I gave up at 2 minutes.

lulubird

Hello i just bought a new android phone and need to transfer everything from my old android to my new one but im keeping the same phone number on the new phone so when i switch over n get the new phone activated then my old phone wont be so how will i transfer all my music etc from my old phone to my new one?? Cuz wont my old phone be off line cuz its deactivated? How do i transfer all my stuff?

Rodney Atkins

Wifi still works even when phone has no cell plan attached.

phildee

My new S4 arrives on Wednesday so will be doing this My Backup Pro transfer then. Can anyone confirm that all the settings of the transferred Apps are retained or do the Apps reset to ‘as-new’? Thanks

So does that mean that my app data cannot be moved from the old phone to the new phone unless the devices are rooted?

For example, say I am up to level 544 on Candy Crush on my old phone. On my new phone, I cannot get the data that gets me to level 544 unless I have the old phone rooted?

If so, then this migration program is kinda useless. You can get all your apps onto your new phone simply by going to the Google Play store, clicking My Apps, All, then selecting all the apps you want to move onto your new phone.

The whole idea is to make all the apps on the new phone be in the same status as they were on the old phone, and it sounds like this program cannot do that unless the phone(s) is/are rooted.

dee

Downloaded to both phones, followed each step, and nothing has happened. Just spins on each phone stating “go to second device and select to/from”…on each phone which has a;ready been done. Both phones on same wifi connection. Quite frustrating…

ontheball_offthewall

did you get it to work?? i am having the exact same issue. same wifi network!

CJ

This worked great! Thanks for posting this info! Note: When I was transferring text messages, the app asked if I wanted it to be the default messaging app. It seems that you need to answer yes for it to complete the transfer. After the transfer is completed, you can reset your regular texting app as the default.